Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

The hall was deathly silent.

The only sounds were the lingering smell of gunpowder smoke and... Gao Zhuo's heavy breathing.

Zhu Cilang's voice broke the silence:

"Gao Qing, this gun will be handed over to the Ministry of Works for testing!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

A voice trembled with sobs; it was Wang Zhaoxing.

"Your humble servant dares to ask!"

He pointed at Lin Yuan as if he were pointing at a demon that brought disaster.

"A commoner craftsman carrying a firearm entered the Wenhua Hall... and set it off in front of the hall... This... this is an unprecedented act of disrespect!"

"This is a grave violation of ancestral rules! The moral order... the moral order has collapsed, Your Majesty!"

"What Lord Wang says is absolutely right!"

Gao Zhuo immediately took over the conversation,

"Your Majesty, please allow me to say that since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Taizu, the Wenhua Hall has been a solemn place for lectures and discussions among court officials. How could it be a place for mere craftsmen?"

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the craftsman's token at Lin Yuan's waist and snorted through his nose:

"Even with a craftsman's certificate issued by the Ministry of Works, he's still just a low-ranking civilian craftsman, and according to regulations, he shouldn't even be allowed to enter the capital!"

His gaze swept over the plaque with the calligraphy of the founding emperor hanging high in the hall.

"If this precedent is set, where will the established order and discipline remain?"

He attempted to use this set of "righteousness" to salvage his crumbling authority.

Sunlight streamed in through the high window, landing squarely on Lin Yuan's downturned temples.

A tiny bead of sweat suddenly slid deep into the hollow of his neck.

"What a fine ancestral system and set of rules!"

Zhu Cilang sneered.

"Then I shall ask—"

"When the rebel leader Li Zicheng broke into Beijing, did he ever consider ancestral rules?"

"When the Jurchens entered the pass, did they ever heed the principles of law and order?"

The young emperor ripped off the jade pendant from his waist and slammed it heavily on the table:

"The founding emperor established these regulations to ensure the eternal stability of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Now that firearms are obsolete and the borders are in dire need of repair, instead of striving for progress, you use ancestral rules as a shield!"

He pointed north, his voice trembling:

"Must we wait until the Jurchen cavalry breaches the Hongwu Gate of Nanjing and holds a sword to my throat?!"

"Are you all finally willing to set aside these outdated and pedantic views?"

Zhu Cilang's questioning made Gao Zhuo tremble violently, and his burly body swayed.

Wang, the head of the department, turned ashen-faced and knelt on the ground.

Zhu Cilang turned and walked to the imperial desk, where he took out the scroll of "Illustrations of the Divine Machine Gun".

Han Zanzhou stepped forward at the opportune moment and placed the musket that Lin Yuan had presented next to the blueprints.

The jet-black gun barrel gleamed with a cold luster, echoing the lines on the blueprint.

"The military department gives the matter to Zuo Maodi!"

"Your subject is here!"

Zuo Maodi quickly stepped forward, his voice loud and clear.

His position as a Censor was an independent supervisory body directly under the emperor.

The Six Ministries Supervising the Six Ministries nationwide, and he, as the Supervising Secretary of the Military Department, was specifically in charge of supervising the military field.

Zhu Cilang's expression was solemn, and his words were resolute:

"You must rigorously verify the entire process of manufacturing the 'Divine Machine Gun'."

"All construction and external structural components must adhere to the imperial standard drawings and specifications, with tolerances specified down to the millimeter."

"All those exceeding the size limit shall be rejected. The specifications of each component shall be recorded in detail daily and submitted to me in secret."

He paused briefly, then his tone suddenly became more forceful:

"Firearms are a matter of life and death for the three armies; anyone who uses them to make weapons shall be executed at the gate."

"If any weapon has defects such as bursting or misfiring, the supervisor who built it and the craftsmen shall be punished equally!"

"Your Majesty, I obey! I will certainly not fail your expectations!"

Zuo Maodi bowed and agreed.

The moment the words fell, a figure in a green robe quietly stepped forward from the side.

Gao Zhuo, the Vice Minister of Works, took a deep breath:

"His Majesty,"

"Upon examining the fitting parts of this gun, particularly the junction of the mother and son breech, I fear there is a risk of leakage of gunpowder smoke."

He raised his right hand, his fingertips hovering over the tenon joint of the breech-loading gun.

"If even the slightest gap exists here, and the flames leak out, it will be difficult to penetrate iron-plated cotton armor from fifty paces away. This is a serious disadvantage that should not be underestimated."

After speaking, he looked nervously at the throne. This was his last struggle, an attempt to salvage some dignity with "professionalism."

"Gao Qing's words truly reveal the true nature of a Vice Minister."

Zhu Cilang's gaze shifted to Gao Zhuo, the sharpness in his eyes softening slightly.

"What a pity! You have talent but lack the strength, wisdom but do not use it!"

"Do we really have to wait until the Jurchens breach the city before we'll give our all?"

In Zhu Cilang's view, this Vice Minister of Works was indeed capable, seeing the crux of the problem at a glance—

Due to limitations in metalworking technology, the joint between the main and auxiliary guns is difficult to achieve a perfect seal, and air leakage will greatly reduce the range of the lead bullets.

This problem had been troubling him for a long time, and he had no solution.

Gao Zhuo looked troubled:

"This old minister is muddle-headed! It's just..."

Zhu Cilang didn't let him finish speaking, cutting him off abruptly:

"Your insight into this crucial point deeply comforts me. Do you possess a method for holding one's breath?"

Gao Zhuo maintained his bowed posture:

"Your Majesty... Your subject... Although I have observed this flaw, I have pondered it deeply..."

"I rack my brains... but for the time being... I have no perfect solution... I... I am deeply ashamed..."

He clearly saw the problem, but had no solution.

At this time, there was no rubber available, and if this problem was not solved, there would be no point in making new guns.

This was precisely why Zhu Cilang summoned the experts; he slowly swept his gaze across them:

"Gentlemen, you are all pillars of our Great Ming Dynasty. Do you have any good strategies to resolve this predicament?"

The hall fell into an even deeper silence.

Only the faint hissing sound of sandalwood burning inside the crane-shaped incense burner could be heard.

Sweat beaded on the forehead of Chief Clerk Wang.

"Your Majesty, the cannon requires a tightly sealed iron seal to hold its air in place..."

He stole a glance at Gao Zhuo, then quickly lowered his eyelids.

"It cannot be accomplished without... without three months of meticulous craftsmanship..."

"March?"

Zhu Cilang slammed his hand on the imperial desk!

"Bang!" Startled, Wang Zhaoxing almost collapsed again.

Right now—

Zhu Cilang's gaze instantly caught the knowing look that flashed across Lin Yuan's eyes.

"Lin Qing!"

The emperor's voice carried a hint of anticipation.

"Speak freely, whatever your insights may be! Today, I wish to hear from you, this folk craftsman, what ingenious solution you have to break this deadlock!"

"Your Majesty!"

Lin Yuan's voice remained calm and steady.

He raised his hands, without any blueprints to refer to, relying solely on his brief observation and his own skills.

The ten fingers moved steadily and precisely in the air:

"The joint between the breech of the cannon and the breechblock should be designed as a concave tenon and a convex mortise, forming a wedge-shaped fit! The yin and yang interlock, with the sloping surfaces pressing together!"

The fingers seemed to be sculpting invisible refined iron.

"The outer wall of the breech-mounted, beveled surface must be covered with a layer of specially made tanned cowhide! This will be a slip-on leather sheath!"

"This leather sleeve fits between the mortise and tenon joints, expands under pressure, and can seal the gunpowder smoke! And—"

He made a substitution gesture with his finger.

"This leather sheath is designed to be used and worn out as needed, allowing you to carry spares with you in battle, much like replacing arrows! Damaged sheaths can be replaced instantly!"

The instant his ten fingers stopped at the position of the "leather sheath" in the void,

The beam of light streaming in from outside the hall illuminated his hands, which were covered in gunpowder burn marks.

These hands are completely out of place in the imperial court.

This is proof forged through countless trials, a silent declaration that folk wisdom has crushed the "ancestral rules" of the temple.

"wonderful!"

Zhu Cilang's eyes flashed with a sharp light!

The bottleneck that had been troubling him for so long was suddenly broken through by this folk craftsman with just a few words and gestures.

Simple! Practical! Efficient!

It far surpasses his painstakingly devised precision metal airtight solution.